Professional paper

https://doi.org/10.33128/ag.87.1.2

Comparison of nutrient maps for additional precision fertilisation created with the help of satellite imagery and an unmanned aerial vehicle

Dorijan Radočaj ; Fakultet agrobiotehničkih znanosti Osijek, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Ivan Plaščak orcid.org/0000-0001-8700-4773 ; Fakultet agrobiotehničkih znanosti Osijek, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Ivan Vidaković orcid.org/0000-0002-4773-0727 ; Fakultet agrobiotehničkih znanosti Osijek, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Mladen Jurišić orcid.org/0000-0002-8105-6983 ; Fakultet agrobiotehničkih znanosti Osijek, Sveučilište J. J. Strossmayera u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska

Abstract

Modern agriculture strives to increase productivity while reducing the negative impact, on the environment. Supplementary precision fertilisation is an important segment of precision agriculture. Advances in remote sensing methods, in particular the use of vegetation indices such as the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), enable spatially variable fertiliser application. The aim of this work is to compare the technical characteristics of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and unmanned aircraft with a red-green-blue (RGB) camera in order to develop recommendations for supplementary precision fertilisation. A comparative analysis of remote sensing characteristics has shown that Sentinel-2 offers wider spectral coverage, free and regular availability, but limited spatial resolution (up to 10 m) and dependence on weather conditions. On the other hand, unmanned aircraft provide high spatial resolution (up to 1 cm) and flexibility in the choice of recording time, but require initial investment and are limited to smaller areas. The practical application was carried out on an agricultural plot within the Tenja experimental site of the Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek with wheat, where fertilisation zones were created based on NDVI and Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI) vegetation indices. The results show significant differences in the recommendations, especially in the central part of the plot, which indicates the need for further research on the accuracy of both methods.

Keywords

precision agriculture; vegetation indices; remote sensing; Sentinel-2; unmanned aircraft

Hrčak ID:

334441

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/334441

Publication date:

30.6.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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